Understanding intent for successful customer engagement
Intent can sometimes be cryptic because of the way language is used, making it difficult for AI to understand it accurately. A precise understanding of a customer's “intent” is extremely important for the successful implementation of ‘intent oriented customer engagement (IoCE)’.
Dharmendra Misra, Wipro20 Oct 2020
Understanding intent for successful customer engagement
A precise understanding of a customer's “intent” is extremely important for the successful implementation of ‘intent oriented customer engagement (IoCE)’. A customer’s intent is often unstated. Stated intent can also sometimes be cryptic because of the way language is used, making it difficult for AI to understand it accurately.
A few days ago, for example, I ordered medicine through an ecommerce portal. I’d waiting a week and still didn’t get the medicine I bought, so I wrote to them: “ Thanks for taking the time to send me medicine, I await your arrival”. Simple AI, or any such associated tools, may find it difficult to understand the exact intent this statement. I was not thankful to anyone, but was instead complaining the delivery had been delayed beyond any acceptable limit, but this was not clear in my linguistics. Similarly, over the phone or in person, customer can express their thoughts and feeling rather sarcastically, and AI struggles with understanding sarcasm. Therefore, a concept like IoCE needs to be very sophisticated in its mechanisms for understanding intent:
A few days ago, for example, I ordered medicine through an ecommerce portal. I’d waiting a week and still didn’t get the medicine I bought, so I wrote to them: “ Thanks for taking the time to send me medicine, I await your arrival”. Simple AI, or any such associated tools, may find it difficult to understand the exact intent this statement. I was not thankful to anyone, but was instead complaining the delivery had been delayed beyond any acceptable limit, but this was not clear in my linguistics. Similarly, over the phone or in person, customer can express their thoughts and feeling rather sarcastically, and AI struggles with understanding sarcasm. Therefore, a concept like IoCE needs to be very sophisticated in its mechanisms for understanding intent:
Understanding intent is an exercise that needs the perfect technological alignment of sociology, psychology and science. Any precision in understanding intent will remain compromised if social, cultural and phycological principles are ignored. Merely going by literal words and/or expressions will not bring accuracy in understanding intent.
The diagram below provides key functional blocks, in process order, to implement IoCE and understand intent with precision.
Key functional blocks in implementing intent
The diagram below provides key functional blocks, in process order, to implement IoCE and understand intent with precision.
Call for action
TM Forum customer experience management (CEM) project workstream is excited to explore IoCE with new concepts, innovation and emerging technologies. Members are welcome to join the CEM program and contribute their ideas. Access the current projects page to sign up for the Customer Experience Management Project.
